


Scales of a Dragon, Heart of a Hero

by NerdyNinja



Category: Senyuu.
Genre: Gen, implied Albatros if you squint
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-03
Updated: 2015-07-14
Packaged: 2018-04-07 10:26:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 14,085
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4259856
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NerdyNinja/pseuds/NerdyNinja
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The crown princess of Dämonenwelt, Ruki, has been kidnapped by a dragon! Dragon Slayer Ros has been summoned to slay the beast and bring the princess home, but will his mission really be so simple? This dragon acts nothing like what he expects, and may very well have a good reason for his actions…</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Hero and the Opening Scene

**Author's Note:**

> Because it would make no sense for Rchimedes II to inherit the title in this universe, I have opted to call him by his potential true name März Drei as mentioned in a tumblr post* by thatmartiangirl. Ruki’s true name, as revealed in the Main Quest manga**, is also mentioned although Ruki will be the name I use because I’m more familiar with it. I take no credit for either of these name concepts.
> 
> Just in case you didn't know, I also don't lay any claim to Senyuu or its characters. They belong to the wonderful Haruhara Robinson.
> 
> *http://thatmartiangirl.tumblr.com/post/103093658619/i-just-had-a-thought-so-rukis-name-isnt  
> **http://theherowrites.tumblr.com/post/103057435945/rukis-name

King März, ruler of the kingdom of Dämonenwelt, was taking advantage of his brief respite from royal duties to watch his two beloved daughters playing in the courtyard below. His eldest daughter, Lumire, also known by her nickname Ruki, was happily chasing her younger sister, Lympic or Lym for short, in a game of tag.

The elder sister was identical to her mother, with coral pink hair and lilac eyes. Her white dress was already covered with dirt and grass stains. The younger resembled the king himself, with shining blond hair, although her eyes were cobalt blue where his were carnelian red. She had chosen to wear a more sensible black dress, and so escaped any noticeable blemishes.

As the two young princesses raced through the gardens, scattering petals in their exuberant wake, the king couldn’t help but smile fondly to himself. He thought that he could quite honestly call himself the happiest man alive. His kingdom, though small, was prosperous and at peace. He had married the most beautiful and kind woman in the world to rule by his side, and together they had the most adorable, sweetest daughters he could have imagined.

His kingdom was in fact so peaceful, that he was wholly unprepared for his world to be suddenly and violently ripped to shreds.

The princesses had collapsed on the ground, breathless from their play, when the king heard the faintest sound of shouts in the distance. Curious, März leaned out over the balcony for a better view of the palace walls, where the shouts seemed to originate from.

In the distance, he could see the silhouettes of the castle guards frantically scurrying along the curtain wall. The king shielded his eyes with his hand and squinted to try and get a better look. Were the guards manning the catapults? Whatever for?

As news of whatever the disturbance was spread along the wall, one word seemed to be spoken, screamed really, from guard to guard. Slowly, the word became clearer and clearer as it was repeated over and over, approaching the increasingly apprehensive king like a beast stalking it’s prey. At last, the message had reached the guards on the section of wall closest to the courtyard. When the word was shouted once again, the king heard all too clearly. He gripped the balcony rail with a hand that shook, terror settled in the pit of his stomach like a lead weight. The slight summer’s breeze, so pleasantly cool before, now felt like winter’s icy breath.

 

**Dragon**

 

His daughters were still in the courtyard, only just noticing that the guards were in frantic disarray.

“RUKI!! LYM!! GET BACK INSIDE NO—“

Before März could finish bellowing his warning, a shadow quickly grew over the garden, signaling the great beast that was descending from the sky. The king quickly tried to spot the threat overhead, only to be blinded by the sun. This dragon had been clever, flying with the sun at his back to throw off archers and the catapults. Not that said catapults were ready to fire, the dragon had appeared far too abruptly for the guards to prepare a proper defense.

März waited in desperation for his sight to return, he had to make sure that Ruki and Lym fled inside, to safety, and then command the men on the walls. He had to defend his people!

However, just as his vision started to recover, he felt a sudden blast of wind that nearly knocked him to the stone floor and heard the drowned out, terrified scream of a young girl. Of one of _his_ girls.

“RUKI!!! LYM!!!” The king vaulted over the balcony rail into the courtyard below, vision be damned. He quickly recovered from the two story drop and raced to the center of the garden. By the time he reached his destination, his vision had completely cleared. He saw his youngest daughter on the ground, tears streaming down her horrified face. März hurried to embrace her, while scanning the ground for Ruki and the sky for the dragon, but neither could be found. The monster had disappeared just as suddenly as it had arrived. März felt an iron hand close around his heart in a vice grip. If Ruki wasn’t here and the dragon wasn’t here, then that could only mean one thing…

“P-papa…” The king looked down at his trembling daughter. “Papa…..it took her…it took big sis..it took her!!” Lym sobbed into her father’s chest.

März ran a reassuring hand over her head. “Shhhhh, it’s alright Lym. Papa is going to make sure your big sis comes home.” He just barely held back the quaver in his voice. Falling to pieces wouldn’t calm Lym or bring his oldest daughter back. He needed to maintain his composure and take action.

The king considered his options. Mounting an assault on the dragon with his own forces would be impossible. His kingdom had known peace for too long, his armies unused to combat. To further complicate matters, dragons hadn’t threatened his kingdom in centuries, and as such methods of fighting them had long since fallen into disuse. He doubted a single warrior in his domain even knew _how_ to slay a dragon, let alone have the strength and experience to do so.

This knowledge left him with only one choice. He would need to enlist the service of a dragon slayer from outside his kingdom, and he had just the man in mind. It might be difficult to track him down, but if anyone could save his daughter from a dragon, it would be him.

As a squad of guards finally arrived to check on them and learn that the crown princess had been abducted, März issued orders for messages to be sent to all of the other kingdoms. He had to ensure that his missive would reach that man, and as quickly as possible. He was so absorbed in relaying his instructions that he didn’t notice Lym slip out of his hold and walk to a spot in the garden a few feet away.

Once the guards left to fetch the necessary people, Lym returned to her father and tugged on his sleeve. März turned his attention to the princess and noticed that she now held what appeared to be a scroll in her left hand. “Papa, I think the dragon left this for us.”

* * *

 Four days after Princess Lumire had been so unexpectedly abducted, a certain professional dragon slayer known as Ros arrived at the palace. The guards on duty at the gate, who had been chatting so amiably before, immediately stopped to gape. Before the newcomer could demand entry, the guards hastily unlocked the gate. They let him pass without question.

Ros certainly appreciated the convenience, he’d much rather meet with the king at once and get on with his mission. As he strode through the palace to the audience chamber, the countless servants and courtiers quailed from his terse demeanor and elected to stay well out of his path. He couldn’t blame them, the whole situation had put him in a foul mood. That, combined with his ebony hair, chilling blood red eyes, powerful figure, and a massive guillotine sword strapped to his back, painted an intimidating picture. His rather somber outfit didn’t help much; black pants, black leather boots, and a navy blue tunic with a sleeveless black leather jerkin. He probably looked like an executioner.

Finally he reached the entrance of the audience chamber. Without a word, the two guards opened the decorative, double doors to admit him in. Ros found the king sitting not on his throne, but in a comfortable plush chair in front of a small table and a matching chair.

“Ros! Welcome, welcome. I’m glad to see you in good health. I also appreciate you answering my summons so quickly. Please, sit. You know I’m not really one for formality. That is especially true right now.”

Ros silently accepted, sinking gratefully into the offered chair. Riding hard for multiple days had left him sore and drained. Once settled, he spared a glance at his royal host and friend. Despite having his daughter snatched up by a dragon, King März seemed surprisingly calm. It could just be a facade to appear collected and in control in front of his subjects, but Ros felt that wasn’t the case.

The king poured a glass of some sort of fruit juice and placed it on the table in front of him. “You already know why you’re here so I don’t see any reason to beat around the bush.” King März lifted his eyes from the glass to meet Ros’s gaze. “I want you to find my daughter and bring her back. No one in my kingdom is as suited for this task as you. We have been free of dragon attacks for countless years, and thus had no defense against this one.” With this last statement, the king looked down into his own glass with a despondent expression.

Ros could understand that sentiment all too well. Dragons ravaged everything in their path, and left nothing but burning ruins in their wake. They were the embodiment of destruction, a natural disaster in and of themselves. Only the most capable warriors could fight one and live to tell the tale. Ros couldn’t even imagine how much damage one would have caused to this tranquil kingdom on it’s way to the palace.

Memories of a village on fire rose unbidden in his mind. Houses torn apart, broken into splinters. Screams rending the air, drowned out by a deep roar. Light from the flames glinting off of obsidian scales. Tiny hands frantically scrabbling away at the debris…

“…with luck perhaps this whole affair can be resolved peacefully.”

Ros’s attention was forced back to the present. King März had apparently continued the conversation while he had been lost in thought. “Ah, sorry I was thinking of something else. What can be resolved peacefully?”

März raised an amused eyebrow, “This dragon affair. I have hope that perhaps this beast can be negotiated with.”

Ros raised a questioning eyebrow in turn, “Negotiate? You clearly don’t have experience with dragons, sir. They take what they want and kill anyone in their way. The path of destruction it carved out of your kingdom to get here, not to mention what it must have done to the palace, should have convinced you of that—“

Ros cut himself off when he noticed the king shaking his head. “Ros, haven’t you noticed? The palace hasn’t been touched.” The dragon slayer stared back at the king with an incredulous expression. One would think that März had just declared that the sky was yellow, or that the sun rose in the west. While Ros sat speechless, the king continued. “For that matter, it has destroyed no villages or towns either. Which is why you need to find my daughter as well as retrieve her. If, as you said, it had cut a swath through my kingdom it would be a simple matter to track it back to its lair. However, this dragon has left no traces. All we know is that it arrived from the north and flew back in that direction after it had taken Ruki.”

The king paused to allow Ros time to process this information. To say that the dragon slayer was utterly stunned would be an understatement. It was completely unprecedented. Dragons reveled in the destruction of human settlements, they would never pass up the chance to ravage defenseless villages on the way to their destination. To top it off, the dragon didn’t even stay to wreak havoc on the capital. It merely snatched up the princess and fled. While dragons had been kidnapping princesses since antiquity, this was the first time Ros had heard of so little accompanying devastation.

“All right, so this dragon apparently hasn’t gone out of it’s way to raze every instance of human civilization in it’s wake. That doesn’t mean it’s open to negotiation. It could simply be too weak to risk a fight, maybe—“

Ros cut himself off once again when the king produced a scroll from within his robes. “That’s not all Ros, the dragon left this behind.”

Thoroughly puzzled, Ros took the offered scroll from the king’s hand and slowly unraveled it. Written in a somewhat messy scrawl, as though the scribe’s hands had been shaking as they wrote, it said:

 

_I’m terribly sorry about this!_

_I will bring the princess back safe and sound in two weeks I promise!_

_No harm will come to her, just please bear with it!_

 

For several minutes an almost oppressive silence filled the chamber. Neither the king nor the dragon slayer moved so much as a muscle. King März waited for Ros to speak, to react at all. Instead, he simply sat with his devoid of any particular emotion. Finally, his eyes rose from the parchment and met the king’s.

“What the hell kind of dragon leaves a note of apology?


	2. The Hero and the Mission

In a cave several days north of the palace, the dragon in question was currently putting the finishing touches on that day’s lunch. For the time being, he had opted to shapeshift into human form for convenience and for the princess's comfort. He had the appearance of a teenage boy, below average in height with only the barest hint of muscle on his exposed arms. He absently pushed caramel colored bangs from his slightly darker brown eyes.

“Albaaaaa~ Is lunch ready yet?” The princess demanded with a pout from her place at the table.

“Just about Ruki!” He finished arranging the food and removed the apron he had worn over his short-sleeved, bold red tunic and charcoal gray breeches. He then carried the plates over. “Here you go! My specialty fried rice.” Alba produced the dish with a proud smile on his face.

“Heeehhh…” Ruki prodded the rice with her fork. “You really can only make fried dishes huh?”

Alba’s face fell from glowing pride to exasperation. “Is that how you treat someone who went through the trouble of cooking a meal for you?”

“Well, considering that the person cooking the meal _has_ to feed me since he kidnapped me in the first place…” She let the sentence trail off with a smirk on her face.

Alba winced. “I suppose I deserved that one.” Who knew that such a delicately raised princess would be capable of making such harsh remarks without batting an eye. It really was true that children were brutally honest. Although, he supposed this was preferable to her initial terrified screaming and tears.

Alba walked over to the other side of the table and sat down with his own plate. For a few minutes the only sounds in the cave were from the two of them happily devouring their respective meals. Ruki was the first to break the silence.

“Umm…Alba…” The dragon immediately turned his attention toward the princess. “I know that dragons are supposed to kidnap princesses, but…you don’t really seem like someone who would do something like that. You’ve actually been really nice to me.” A small smile spread across her face. “You even promised that you’d take me home after two weeks. So…why did you kidnap me in the first place?”

Alba swallowed the food that now felt like a lump of sawdust in his throat. He expected that she would ask this question sooner or later, and had been debating what he was going to say. Alba had considered lying, but he knew that he was a terrible liar and Ruki was strangely perceptive for her age. No, he would have to tell her the truth. Or at least, enough of the truth to satisfy her curiosity.

“Well, you see, every once in while we dragons get together to share news and make decisions. Things like territory boundaries, who our leaders are, stuff like that. At the latest gathering I overheard a certain dragon saying that he was planning on making trouble for this kingdom, even though it wasn’t part of his territory. He said that he would start by kidnapping the princess…”

Alba grew quiet. That dragon had gone into quite a bit of detail as to how he would terrorize the kingdom, sinking its inhabitants into despair. Alba had no desire to relate those gruesome things to her.

He put on a wavering smile and continued. “This dragon is known to have a _really_ bad reputation, even among my kind. Plus, this kingdom is part of _my_ territory. So I decided to kidnap you first. The news has probably reached that dragon by now, so he should have given up on the idea. Keeping you for two weeks is just insurance.”

“Really?” Ruki giggled and gave a bright smile. “I knew you weren’t a bad dragon, Alba.”

Alba returned her smile with a more genuine one of his own.

“I mean, you’re not intimidating in the slightest!”

Alba’s head met the table with a loud, reverberating crack.

“You’re not even all that scary in dragon form. I was always told that dragons were as big as houses with huuuuuge fangs and claws.” As she drew out the word ‘huge’ the little girl stretched her arms out in a comically adorable gesture. “But you’re not nearly as big as that, and neither are your claws or fangs.”

“Guh…”Alba grimaced and looked up at Ruki from his position on the table. “Now look, I may not be all that big now but I’m still growing! You’ll see! I’ll be big and scary in no time! Even if brown dragons like me are the smallest of our kind…” Alba muttered the last sentence under his breath in a sulk.

Ruki perked up in interest. “Brown dragons? Then there are different kinds?”

“Ah, yeah actually.” At this point Alba completely lifted his head from the table. “We’re separated by our scale color, and what color a dragon is can tell you roughly how strong they are. Brown dragons like me are the smallest and weakest. The next strongest type would be green, followed by red, white, bronze, copper, silver, gold and….black.” Alba involuntarily shuddered at the mention of the last one.

Thankfully Ruki didn’t seem to notice, preoccupied with contemplating this new information. “So then, are other brown dragons as wimpy and un-dragonlike as you?”

Alba’s head reacquainted itself with the table.

“Now see here…” Alba straightened in his seat and let out a deep sigh. “No, as a matter of fact they aren’t. There’s a reason dragons are always the villains in stories, ravaging villages and abducting princesses. Most other dragons are exactly like that. Causing chaos just because they can…”

“Ohhh…so I guess you’re just a weird dragon then.”

“Hey! I prefer to think of myself as a kind dragon!” Alba declared with a huff. “I never wanted to do those things, and I never will!”

Ruki cocked her head with a curious expression. “Then what _do_ you want to do?”

“Ah, well…” Alba blushed and fidgeted in his seat, avoiding her gaze. “P-promise me you won’t laugh.”

Ruki chuckled and gave her word that she wouldn’t laugh, now matter how funny it was. Alba gave the girl a half-hearted glare before continuing. “Well, I always wanted to be a hero. I wanted to protect people instead of harming them. To fight off the monsters and rescue the princesses! To be welcomed in the villages with cheers!” By now Alba had stood up from his seat with sparkles in his eyes. When he realized that he had gotten carried away, Alba quickly sat back down, looking bashful.

“But…you know…..it’s like I said earlier. Dragons are always the villains in the stories, not the heroes. Whenever I told other dragons I wanted to be a hero, the ones my age would make fun of me, and the older ones would just look at me with contempt and call me a traitor.” Alba had grown quieter and more subdued with each word. When he finished, the young dragon simply stared as his uneaten food, appetite having completely vanished.

The silence dragged on for a minute, before Ruki abruptly jumped out of her chair and made her way over to Alba. To his surprise, she awkwardly climbed up to stand on his lap and proceeded to pat his head. “Just because there’s never been a dragon hero before doesn’t mean that you can’t be the first.”

Alba was so stunned by the unexpected gesture that he could only stare in bewilderment at the little princess, who continued to smile and pat his head.

Alba felt like he wanted to cry.

 

_If only you knew how much of a coward I am._

 

* * *

Three days after leaving the palace, Dragon Slayer Ros found himself once again leaving a village with only the barest amount of information on the dragon’s whereabouts. Normally it would be child’s play to find a dragon’s lair, Ros groused. But oh no, this dragon just has to disappear into thin air and leave him with nothing but the odd villager or two saying that they saw something ‘dragon shaped’ flying northward.

Ros sighed, he should be grateful at the lack of devastation and harassed villages, but it perplexed him to no end. Every other dragon he had come across was a menace, devouring livestock, burning villages to the ground…Then there was the note. The blasted note supposedly left by this bizarre dragon that only confounded him further. Never in all his years as a dragon slayer had he ever come across or heard of a dragon leaving behind a note of any sort, let alone a note promising a princess’s safe return.

Ros was starting to get a headache. Perfect. Just perfect. Ros swore that when he finally found this aggravating dragon he would beat it senseless before he killed it.

He urged his horse into a gallop. At least since he was under royal orders he had the authority to swap horses at royal way stations, meaning that he could ride hard almost without pause.

Ros traveled from village to village this way, going by hearsay and hoping that he was riding in the correct direction. Finally, he reached a village just a day’s journey from the border where the trail ran cold. He had asked farmers, merchants, the tailor, the smith, the butcher, the inn keeper…nearly everyone in this tiny mountain hamlet. No one had seen anything remotely like a dragon in the area.

Ros was considering doubling back to the previous village when his stomach chose to remind him that he hadn’t eaten yet today. He turned around to head back to the inn, but stopped short when the delicious smell of fresh bread wafted by. He glanced around. A middle aged woman was setting up a stall in front of her house, placing rows of mouthwatering pastries on the makeshift counter.

Ros supposed that it would be a waste to go all the way back to the inn when a perfectly satisfying meal was available right here…Plus, the bakery woman was one of the few people he hadn’t questioned yet.

His mind was made up. Ros made a beeline for the stall.

The moment he stepped up, the woman welcomed him with a beaming smile. “What can I get for ya, mister hungry traveler?”

Ros ran an appraising eye over her wares. “I’ll take two of these apple turnovers, and three of these cinnamon buns.”

The baker deftly wrapped his choices in a cloth and relayed the price. As Ros pulled out the coins he moved onto this next order of business. “While I’m here I’d like to ask you something. I’ve been tracking a dragon that was last seen flying north. I don’t suppose you’ve seen anything like that in the past week or so?” Ros bit into his first turnover.

The baker pursed her lips and her eyebrows furrowed in concentration. “Can’t say I have.” Ros had expected as much. “But if your dragon was flyin’ north, then maybe Alba might’ve seen it.”

Ros’s eyebrows shot up in surprise, he hadn’t actually thought that talking to this woman might get him results. He silently thanked his sweets-loving stomach and swallowed the mouthful of apple turnover he had been chewing. “And who might this Alba be?”

“Oh, he’s a sweet lad who lives up in the mountains. He comes down every once in a while lookin' for work and to buy food.”

“He lives in the mountains by himself?”

“He does, poor boy. Although apparently he’s got family visitin’ right now. He came down earlier today with his little cousin to help with the festival preparations. She was such an adorable little girl. Ate up my sweetbreads with the brightest smile you ever did see!”

Ros’s suspicion was instantly aroused. A boy who lives alone in the mountains north of the village just happened to have a little girl relative with him the last time he stopped by? He knew that dragons had the ability to take human form, even if they weren’t fond of using it. Although, the thought of a dragon tilling fields and fixing roofs made his head spin.

“So…how often does this Alba visit the village?”

“He comes down every few days or so. Normally you’d have to wait that long to talk to him, but he’s sure to come down tomorrow for the festival. He always makes sure to be here to help with the preparations the day before and to enjoy the festival itself.”

Ros thanked the kind woman and headed back in the direction of the inn, asking the villagers more about this boy Alba all the way there.

 


	3. The Hero and the Inevitable Meeting

The mountain path was littered with red, orange, and gold leaves that crunched under Alba’s feet. Autumn was well underway, and the mountains in which he lived were painted in vibrant colors. Alba was enjoying the scenery while walking through a tunnel of trees with a certain pink-haired princess riding on his shoulders.

“Alba! Alba! Will there be popcorn?”

“Yes, yes. There will be popcorn and plenty of other treats for you to try.” Alba said with a bemused smile. “There will be games and performances, it’ll be a lot of fun.”

“Yaaay!!” Ruki threw up her arms in glee.Alba grimaced a little at how the oversized sleeves of her new dress completely covered her hands. He couldn’t have her enter the village dressed as she normally was, she would have been identified as a nobleman’s daughter in a heartbeat. To prevent that, Alba had haggled with the village tailor for a girl’s dress a few days before he had kidnapped her. The only problem was that he had not known how small she would be, thus the dress ended up far too large. Ruki at least didn’t seem to mind.

Glancing up at the exuberant child, he couldn’t help wanting to share in that innocent happiness, but darker thoughts plagued his mind. He had told her the truth before, that he had abducted her himself to prevent her from falling prey to another dragon, but he had told a lie too. Alba had told her that the dragon would most likely give up after someone beat him to the punch. He knew that was far from the case. He had only bought time with his desperate scheme. Worse, that time was almost up, and he hadn’t come up with a solution to this whole predicament.

If only he was strong enough to make a stand and fight the dragon off…but no. He was one of the weakest dragons on the continent. He wouldn’t stand a chance, and then that dragon would rain fire down on this kingdom with no one to stop him…

“Alba look! The villagers put up even more decorations after we left!”

Alba was abruptly shaken from his train of thought. His eyes focused on the decorations that Ruki had just pointed out. All of the houses on the edge of the village had been strung with colorful garlands that seemed to invite the two young people in, to tell them to forget their troubles for a time and join in the merriment.

Alba supposed he could at least let himself have fun today.

* * *

The two of them had been enjoying for festival for some time now. Alba had let Ruki try as many treats as she wanted and had played almost all of the games with her. By now, the afternoon was waning, and the villagers were gathering in the town square for the highlights of the day, the performances.

Ruki’s eyes widened in surprise and excitement. From her vantage point on Alba’s shoulders she could see the stage that had been assembled yesterday over the crowd. The first batch of performers were getting ready, donning vivid costumes and running last minute checks over props. Alba had told her that the evening entertainments always opened with a play put on by the villagers, which was usually a rendition of a folk tale or an old epic.

The opening act began and a massive dragon head parted the curtains. Ruki gasped. The head was so lifelike and intricately crafted, she could easily imagine the rest of the great beast lurking behind the curtain, rather than a team of villagers maneuvering a prop. The dragon demanded that the people on stage offer him tribute, or he would raze their homes to the ground and devour every last one of them.

“Even this fake dragon is a lot scarier than you are, Alba.” Ruki declared with a smirk.

“I’m honestly not sure how I should take that statement…”

The play continued with a hero coming to the villagers aid; he had been chasing this particular dragon for years to avenge his hometown. In the climax, the hero bravely faced the dragon with a sword in hand, as streamers of bright orange and red flew from the dragon’s mouth to hit the prop buildings, which were then covered in similar colored cloth to show they were ablaze. As the villainous dragon roared his fury at the hero who dared to defy him, Ruki thought back to the conversation she had with Alba days ago.

He had said that a really nasty dragon had planned to kidnap her…a dragon like the one in the play……

“Hey…Alba?”

“Hmm? Yes, Ruki?” Alba asked distractedly. He had not taken his eyes off the play.

“You said the bad dragon was really mean right? You said that he would give up since you kidnapped me first…but won’t he be really angry? Won’t he be really angry at you, Alba?”

Alba remained silent for a few seconds. “You don’t need to worry Ruki. The bad dragon isn’t going to be a problem. In a few more days, you’ll be back home with your family and you can forget any thoughts about dragons.”

Ruki didn’t miss the fact that, despite Alba’s reassuring words, he had avoided answering her question.

* * *

Ros had been shadowing the young man and the princess all day, staying just out of sight. He didn’t dare initiate a confrontation in the middle of a populated village, so he had resolved to wait until they headed back into the mountains. However, as the day went on, he questioned more and more whether this boy was really the dragon who had kidnapped Ruki.

Alba had to be the most non-threatening, unassuming young man in the world. He seemed like he would cry if you punched him, rather than fight back. Now that he thought about it the idea seemed pretty appealing…No, he had to focus. Was he or was he not a dragon?

He had to have some connection at the very least, considering that Ruki had accompanied him all day. That was another thing, if Ruki was a captive then why was she happily strolling around a festival with him? The happy faces and affection they had displayed throughout the day only worsened his doubts.

Ros felt that headache coming back. There were far too many peculiarities and unanswered questions involved with this mission for his liking.

Finally, as the sun began to set, the festival started to wind down. Parents were gathering up their children to head home while single adults and teens lit more torches and broke out the liquor. This appeared to be the signal for Alba and Ruki to leave.

The stalking swordsman watched as Ruki started to yawn while following Alba outside the village. Alba looked back and noticed that his companion was lagging behind. With a fond smile, the teen bent down and gestured for Ruki to climb on his back for a piggy-back ride. Ruki sleepily obliged. Wrapping arms drowned in fabric around his neck as he lifted her up from behind and stood up.

He didn’t like that development. If the boy did turn out to be a dragon, he couldn’t take him out so long as Ruki might be a casualty. It would have been so much better if Ruki had walked alongside him, then Ros could tell her to get out of the fray. He supposed he would have to improvise when the time came.

For several minutes, he followed the two without a sound, biding his time, judging the most opportune moment to issue his challenge. Once the village was far out of sight, Ros decided it was either sink or swim and circled ahead of Alba to cut him off. The moment he stepped out into the open, right in Alba’s path, the youth froze and his eyes widened in terror. His face blanched, he looked like was going to be sick.

In fact, he was so horrified that Ros hesitated. He would be lying if he said it wasn’t partially to enjoy the expression on his face, but even more than that…The boy’s reaction was far too extreme for a stranger simply blocking his path. However, Ros reminded himself that that was hardly important at the moment. A young man who either was or was not a dragon currently had the kidnapped princess he was searching for on his back. He needed answers.

“So…” Ros let the pause hang in the air. “May I ask just why the kidnapped princess of this kingdom happens to be fast asleep on your back? I’m finding it incredibly hard to believe, but you wouldn’t happen to be a certain kidnapping dragon by any chance…would you?” Ros spoke the last two words with every once of intimidation he could harness.

The first sound out of Alba’s mouth was a frightened squeak. He seemed to be trying to form words for several seconds, but then his expression shifted from panicked to puzzled. “Wait…You don’t know who I am?”

Alba’s question only served to confuse Ros more. “No, not at all. And I think I would remember someone as hopelessly pathetic as you. Why?”

“Pathetic!? What a cruel thing to say to someone you just met! But…” The young man heaved a sigh of relief. “If you don’t already know who I am then you can’t be him, thank the heavens…”

Ros’s brow furrowed in irritation and a scowl marred his face. More information he didn’t know the significance of…Apparently Alba had mistaken him for someone else, someone he _really_ didn’t want to meet. He would consider whether this had any relevance or not after he received the initial answer he wanted.

“Back to my question, are you or you not the vile dragon who kidnapped the princess you are currently carrying on your back? Because if you are I have to kill you now, comes with the job of being a dragon slayer.”

Alba’s voice rose an octave, “D-dragon slayer!?” He obviously fought his voice back down and answered while trembling from head to toe, “M-me? A dragon? No way! Do I look anything like a dragon to you?” His obvious fear combined with the fact that his eyes were darting every which way gave away the lie. Ros could even see the tiniest drop of nervous sweat on his left temple.

“Right.” Ros unsheathed his massive guillotine sword. “Hand over the princess and I’ll skewer you.”

“SHOULDN’T IT BE HAND OVER THE PRINCESS AND I WON’T SKEWER YOU!?” Alba’s screeching retort caused the child princess to stir. She rubbed at bleary, sleep filled eyes and mumbled, “Alba? Are we there yet?”

Neither man had planned on Ruki waking up, and so stood in petrified silence as her eyes grew wide with recognition and understanding. “Mr. Ros! Did papa send you to find me!? Ah!” Now her large eyes filled with tears and she waved her arms frantically in the air. “NO! Please don’t kill Alba! He’s a nice dragon! He didn’t do anything wrong! If, if you hurt him I’ll never forgive yoooouuuuuu~!!” At this last declaration the tears began to overflow, streaming down her face and leaving both the warrior and dragon stunned.

Alba recovered first. “No, no. It’s okay Ruki! No one’s going to hurt anyone,” he hurried to reassure the child. “We were just talking, right?” Alba’s eyes clearly begged for Ros to play along. Ros nearly refuted the statement on impulse(who wouldn’t want to ruthlessly reject those pleading eyes?), but Ruki was one of the few people he couldn’t stand to see crying.

He sighed and returned the sword to its place on his back. “He’s telling the truth Ruki, we were just talking. Though I fail to see how he’s a ‘nice dragon’ given that he kidnapped you.”

Ruki’s tears finally stopped and her tone shifted from panicked to defensive. “He couldn’t help it! If he didn’t kidnap me then a bad dragon would have! He just wanted to protect me!”

“Oh?” Ros raised a questioning eyebrow and shifted his gaze to Alba, clearly doubting what the dragon must have told her. “You know, he could just be saying that to keep you under control.”

“Alba’s not lying!” Ruki’s cheeks puffed up in irritation. “He’s too simple-minded to lie!”

“Ugh!” Alba made a sound between being strangled and being punched in the gut. He hung his head in dejection. “Is that really what you think of me?”

Ros tried desperately not to smile at their antics, struggling to maintain his mask of indifference. This certainly had not gone the way he expected. He hadn’t accounted for Ruki actually liking the dragon and speaking in his defense. To his shock, Ros was finding it difficult to dislike Alba as well. The sensitive young man obviously couldn’t hurt a fly and had absolutely zero ability to hide his true feelings.

In other words, he was nearly irresistible to tease.

 


	4. The Hero and Something to Protect

After the initial tension between dragon and dragon slayer had been defused, the rather unusual group resumed walking to the dragon’s lair. As they went, Princess Ruki recounted the story of her abduction and subsequent captivity to Ros from Alba’s back. Alba himself was subjected to countless verbal jabs from both over the course of the story, which he swore the other two derived far too much amusement from. Once finished with her tale, the princess swiftly fell back into slumber.

For the rest of the brief journey, Alba and Ros walked beside one another in silence. Alba attempted to discretely check Ros’s expression, but the tunnel of trees that formed the mountain path blocked the moonlight. His anxiety was growing with every step. What if Ros didn’t believe him after all and decided that Alba needed to be slayed? What if he did but decided to slay Alba anyway?

As these thoughts tumbled around inside if his head, the tunnel of trees abruptly stopped and revealed a ridge with a yawning cave mouth. Home, sweet home, Alba thought to himself.

The teen, still carrying the child, and adult both entered the cave. Alba kept walking a few paces before he realized that Ros had stopped a little ways behind him. “Ros?”

“…..There’s a carpet.”

Alba couldn’t decipher Ros’s tone. “Yeah? Don’t most homes have a mat or carpet in front of the entrance?”

“ _Human_ homes do. You’re a dragon.” Now Alba could identify his tone, Ros sounded equal parts exasperated and amused.

Alba bristled in annoyance. “So? Not all of us are uncivilized brutes you know.” Alba turned away from Ros with a huff and walked over to a small table a few feet from the entrance. On top of the table was a candle, which Alba bent down towards and gently lit with a small, fiery breath. “Would you pick up that candle please? We’ll use it to light our way.”

Ros obeyed, surprisingly without a snarky comment, and followed behind the dragon as he went farther into the cave. Eventually they reached a point where the cave tunnel expanded into a sizable chamber. There were more furnishings here, a wide table with two chairs, a bonfire-sized hearth with still smoldering embers, a handful of shelves with a few books and miscellaneous items, a smaller hearth apparently used for cooking tucked against the wall, another shelf with cooking utensils, and an expansive spread of pillows and blankets that covered a quarter of the space.

Alba went over to blanket-and-pillow nest to set Ruki down and tuck her in for the night. Once that was done, he stood up to walk back to Ros and take the candle from his hands. Alba then gestured for Ros to follow him back to the table.

Alba sat down in one of the available chairs and set the candle in the middle of the table, waiting for Ros to be seated. After Ros detached his sword to prop it against the table, he sat down and pulled up his chair. Alba began to quietly speak.

“Now that you’re here you might as well stay the night. The mountain can get pretty dangerous after dark and—“

Ros cut him off with a raised hand. “That’s all well and good, but I have more pressing concerns at the moment. Was the story Ruki told me all of it? You’re not hiding something else are you?”

Alba sat in shocked silence for a moment before steeling himself to answer the brusque warrior’s question. “I…didn’t tell Ruki everything.” Alba took a deep breath to calm himself. “I was telling the truth when I said that the dragon had a nasty reputation. He would have destroyed every village and town on his way there, and I mean _every_ village and town. Straight from his lair all the way across the continent to Dämonenwelt. He wasn’t planning on stopping there either. He was going to burn every crop field, slaughter every last livestock animal, and tear the palace into rubble…” Alba’s head was lowered, he clenched his fists on the table so hard that they shook. “And he wasn’t planning on _kidnapping_ her, or her sister. He wanted to devour them…and make the king and queen watch. He wanted them to _watch_. He wanted to see the despair on their faces before he devoured them too…” Alba’s entire body was shaking now, from barely restrained fury and fear.

“I had to do _something_! But I’m not strong enough to stop him myself, not in a fight. I knew that I needed to come up with another way, but there was no time. I needed to stall him somehow, to buy myself that time. In the end, I decided to kidnap one of the princesses so that he couldn’t carry out his plan. He’s got a reputation for sticking to his plans down to the last detail. He wouldn’t go through with it unless everything was perfectly in place.” Alba slowly stopped trembling as the tension left his body, his voice became more subdued. “I figured I had about two weeks before he tracked me down. Two weeks to come up with a counter measure.”

There was a pause before Ros spoke up. “And have you?” His face and voice were both unreadable.

“…..no. I haven’t.”

Ros sighed. “Honestly… Over half of your time is already up you know. Well, not that it matters now that I’m here.”

Alba raised his head to meet Ros’s eyes, incomprehension written all over his face.

Ros resumed with a condescending smirk.“I’m a renowned dragon slayer remember? I’ve got more dragon kills under my belt then you have years…” Ros faltered “Probably, it’s hard to tell with you dragons. The point is that you don’t need to find a solution to the problem anymore because _I’m_ the solution. You’ve already done your part by stalling him and informing me. So don’t worry your scaly, empty little head over it anymore.” Ros leaned back in his chair with a smug look on his face.

Alba sat in stunned silence, trying to process what Ros had just said. He was the solution? Was the answer to the dilemma that had plagued him for weeks really that simple? Was someone else going to come in and save the day while he stayed frozen on the sidelines?

“Hah…haha..hahahaHAHA!!” Alba couldn’t hold back the laughter welling up from inside him. He felt tears forming as he released all of the pent up stress in a rush of hysteria. He really was pathetic, wasn’t he? Someone else had to step up and take action because he couldn’t, and he felt so relieved at the offer. A _dragon_ was too cowardly to stand up to another dragon, but a human could stand up to him with such absolute confidence.

Alba’s laughter gradually subsided. Finally he caught his breath and wiped the tears of relief from his face. “I can’t describe just how reassuring it is to hear you say that. If that’s the case, then I don’t need to buy time anymore. You should probably go ahead and take Ruki home, her parents must be worried sick. I would fly you both back, but I don’t want to cause the kingdom’s citizens to panic.”

Ros agreed. Since he thought there was nothing else to discuss, Alba prepared to blow out the candle. However, just before he could the dragon slayer spoke up again. “Why do you even care?”

“Excuse me?”

“Why do you even care that this other dragon wants to stir up trouble here? From what you’ve said, you’re doing this for the humans of this kingdom. You actually care what happens to them. Why? Most dragons just see humans as inferior creatures and prey. Why do you think differently?” As he asked this new deluge of questions, Ros leaned forward and braced himself on the table, forearms folded in front of him.

Alba was honestly shocked that he had asked. The dragon assumed that once Ros had obtained the information he needed for his mission he would promptly dismiss Alba, not ask more personal questions. “Well…my father was a human.”

Garnet eyes widened in surprise. “Human? Your father was?” Suddenly his eyes seemed to fill with some emotion Alba couldn’t place. Ros's gaze drifted from his own to the flickering flame in front of him. “I see, so a mixed blood then.”

The following silence unnerved Alba. He felt that he needed to draw the warrior seated across from him out of this strange mood. The only solution he could think of was to keep talking. “Yes, my father was a wandering doctor. He was a very kind man, who loved helping others. He was always welcomed in the village. My mother was the dragon who claimed this kingdom as her territory. I inherited it from her.”

Alba grew quiet himself. Memories of a mother now gone flashing through his mind. The young dragon shook the memories off and continued. “She was actually the reason this kingdom has been so peaceful for so long. Dragons as a rule don’t interfere in one another’s territories, and she also kept the monster populations down, so they wouldn’t terrorize the citizens. She even frightened off a few invading armies in her time. I’ve stepped up to do the same, and I hope I can do even half as good a job as she did.”

Ros smiled. Apparently Alba had succeeded in enticing the man from his train of thought. “I’m sure you will. Although honestly, the thought of a dragon guarding a realm still throws me for a loop.”

Alba returned the smile. This time when he moved to blow out the candle, Ros didn’t stop him. The two stumbled over to the pillow-and-blanket nest to finally get some sleep.

In the early morning, just before dawn, Ros scooped up the still sleeping princess and prepared to walk back down the mountain. Alba walked with him back to the cave entrance and bid him farewell.

_Now even if I fail, this kingdom will still be safe._

* * *

Although the sun had risen a little over an hour ago, the air underneath the trees was still chilly. Ros wrapped his cloak tighter around himself and the slumbering Ruki. He had made it almost to the foot of the mountain, so the village would be in sight soon. Once there, he could collect his horse from the inn where he had left it and head back to the palace. After that, he could strategize with the king about facing this other dragon. They would need to select an appropriate battle ground and somehow lure him into it…

Ruki stirred in his hold, jostling him from his train of thought. A drawn out yawn escaped her mouth and she blinked up at Ros with bleary eyes. “Mr. Ros? Where are we?” The princess examined her surroundings, “Where’s Alba?”

“Alba’s back in his cave Ruki.” Ros adjusted his hold so that Ruki was sitting up in just one of his arms rather than laying across two. “We’re on our way back to the palace now. Alba and I agreed that there wasn’t any need for you to stay with him anymore.”

Ruki snapped her head around to look at Ros, alarm on her face. “NO! We can’t leave! We have to go back! Please, Mr. Ros we can’t leave Alba!”

Ros was completely taken aback, “Ruki calm down! Why do we have to go back?” Ruki was almost as panicked as when she saw Ros standing in front of Alba with his sword in his hand. What could possibly have upset her so much?

“You have to protect Alba from the bad dragon! Alba said that the dragon would give up, but if he really is as mean as Alba said then he’ll definitely come looking for him right!? He’ll definitely be angry at Alba and hurt him right!?”

Ros hadn’t considered that. He’d assumed that once Ruki was back home the dragon would ignore Alba and focus on carrying out his original plan. Ros scowled, there was also the chance that the dragon would find Alba before word got out that the princess had been found and returned. At this point Ros was mentally kicking himself, he should have realized that sooner. Several days of hard riding with little rest was really detrimental to his ability to function properly.

He turned around. “Alright, we’ll go back and bring your pet dragon with us. I suppose he’ll just have to stay in human form until we—“ Ros stopped talking when something caught his eye in the patch of sky peeking through the canopy. It was a brown dragon flying into the distance.

Ros barely took the time to think before he vaulted up to the nearest tree branch, pulled himself and Ruki up one-handed, then jumped to grab the next branch. Within seconds he had climbed to the top of the tree, which gave him an unobstructed view of the horizon. As he had thought, he spotted Alba flying off to the west, where the mountains gave way to expansive plains.

Ros heard Ruki whisper, “….He’s going to fight him….”

“What?”

“Alba…he’s going to fight the bad dragon…Even though he’s weak……Even though he’s scared…” Ruki began to tremble in his hold.

Ros wanted to reassure the child, to tell her that Alba was probably flying somewhere else, but Ruki’s words held the ugly ring of truth. He ground his teeth in frustration. _That idiot._

Ruki clenched Ros’s shirt. “Mr. Ros, please, you have to go after him! He’s weak, he said so himself! And I think the bad dragon is a black dragon, and Alba said black dragons were the strongest!”

Ros’s expression drastically changed from vexation to desperation. “WHY WOULD YOU THINK THAT!?”

Ruki flinched, both from his intimidating outburst and because he had accidentally tightened his grip. “W-when we were talking about different types of dragons and how strong they were, he seemed really scared when he mentioned black dragons. He probably thinks I didn’t notice but…”

Ros frantically tried to think back. Was there any clue in anything Alba said or did to indicate what kind of dragon it was? An image of Alba’s horrified face came to mind, back when Ros had first confronted him. Alba had mistaken him for someone, someone who would have known that Alba was a dragon and was looking for him…The obvious answer would be another dragon, specifically the one he was hiding Ruki from. He had thought Ros was that dragon. Why did Alba reach that conclusion? Dragons had a tendency to carry their color over to their human forms, as evidenced by the fact that Alba’s hair and eyes were both brown…

Ros’s hair was black.

He immediately began his descent down the tree, in a half-tumble half-climb that threatened to pitch him and Ruki straight to the forest floor. Once his feet hit the ground, Ros ran full tilt toward the village.

Black dragons were the most feared dragon class in existence, but they were also almost extinct. There were records and tales of maybe a handful of black dragons on other continents. As far as he knew, there was only one black dragon on this continent, and he had met it before.

Ros had a dragon to save and a score to settle.


	5. The Hero and the Arriving Threat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Super short chapter is short. Really, the only excuse I have is that I don't have enough skill as a writer to properly separate the story's content into chapters without breaking the flow of the scenes. If I had tried to shift content from the next chapter into this one it would have left an awkward abrupt stop right in the middle of the next scene. The result is that this is really only a transition chapter to set up for the next. The tradeoff though, is that you get a super long final chapter!

Alba watched Ros walk into the shade of the trees, carrying the still sleeping princess in his arms. He wished he could at least say goodbye to the little girl, but it was best if they part ways before she woke. She would definitely insist that Alba needed to be protected too; he remembered her worry from the festival yesterday.

_I’m sorry Ruki, for causing such problems for you and not properly seeing you off._

As Ros’s figure retreated into the distance, he silently thanked the man. He truly considered himself lucky that Ros appeared. Now, no matter what happened to him, the kingdom would still be safe. Now, he could make a stand without worry of failure. Even if he did fail, then maybe he will at least have weakened the other dragon before Ros had to face him.

Alba briefly considered what that battle would be like. A massive, monstrous black dragon versus a single human warrior. He couldn’t even begin to imagine where Ros drew the confidence to fight a dragon single-handed from. Alba shook his head, he guessed that’s what separated heroes from normal people. He wondered if Ros would have let him fight alongside him if he had asked…No, he would probably say that Alba would only get in his way. Besides, Alba needed to make up for his cowardice himself.

Alba turned to study the western horizon. He had contemplated what route the dragon would take on his way to Dämonenwelt, and Alba was almost certain that he would arrive at the plains first. He didn’t know the exact location of the dragon’s lair, but he knew that it lay far to the west. The dragon must have learned by know that this kingdom was his territory, and thus Alba must have been the dragon who interfered. It would only take him a little over a week to obtain information on Alba’s whereabouts from the other dragons, depending on who he asked. Once he did, he would most likely head straight for him, meaning that he would arrive from the west. It was also to Alba’s advantage to face him on the plains, where there were few villages and towns that might become casualties. If Alba was going to confront him, the western plains were the optimal battleground.

He judged that it would take Ros almost an hour to make it down the mountain. Alba would leave then, to make sure that Ros wouldn’t notice his departure.

* * *

After Ros had retrieved his horse from the inn, he had followed the roads westward, pushing his mount as hard as he dared. When he finally reached a royal waypoint, he used the authority given to him by his mission to demand an escort for the princess back to the capital while he chased after Alba. As the gelding was being saddled by the hostlers, Ros examined a map of the kingdom.

If Alba was headed westward, across the plains, then he must think that the dragon would arrive from that direction. Scanning the area, Ros noticed a handful of villages lay scattered apart. With luck, someone living in those villages may have seen Alba fly by. It was the only lead he had.

Once Ros had reached that conclusion, he wasted no time in mounting up and riding out. Even riding hard, he knew that it would be at least a full day before he could reach the first settlement. He just hoped that Alba was still alive by the time he found him.

* * *

It was only a matter of hours before Alba caught sight of the western border, a winding river in the distance. He adjusted his wings and prepared to land. There was, unfortunately, no suitable place for him to hide out here on the plains, but thankfully his brown scales offered a degree of camouflage among the dry grasses and bare earth.

Once Alba selected his stake out point, he gently glided in circles until he reached the ground. From here, he could still see the river a few miles away and had a clear view of the horizon. He would spy his enemy long before he crossed the border into the kingdom.

Alba settled down to wait. The other dragon would arrive any day now, and he would learn that he wasn’t going to do as he pleased unopposed. Ever since that black dragon had mysteriously appeared several years ago, he had rapidly acquired status in their society and claimed massive amounts of territory for himself, mainly by stealing it from dragons he defeated. Within his own territories, he was considered an incarnation of misfortune and tragedy, taking immense pleasure in ravaging human civilization. Even outside of them, within the territories of others, he ran rampant in gross violation of dragon custom, which stated that other’s territories were untouchable.

The only reason such vagrant disregard for their society’s laws had gone unpunished was because of his overwhelming power. Nearly every dragon on the continent had learned to fear him and stayed well out of his way. There were rumors that he planned to style himself their king, forcing them to submit to his authority. If this was true and was allowed to happen, he would undoubtably rule over them all with an iron claw.

Alba shuddered. Although he could feel the warmth of the sun on his scaled back and leathery wings, his body still felt cold from fear. And yet…strangely he was less afraid then he thought he would be. He even felt somewhat…liberated, like a weight had been lifted from his shoulders.

_Maybe it’s because I’m finally standing up for what’s right._

Alba waited for three days, eyes trained on the western sky. Occasionally he would briefly leave to find game and bring it back to eat. Then, just as the sun was beginning to set and turn the sky vibrant shades of orange and pink, he spotted a black figure flying toward him, devouring the distance between them.

Alba stretched his wings and clawed the dirt at his feet. This was it. He was going to stop this dragon here or die trying. He gave himself a running start before snapping his wings open and down, propelling him into the clear sky.

As he rapidly gained height and speed, Alba roared his challenge to the intruder.

**_“RCHIMEDEEEEES!!"_ **

* * *

Just as Ros had hoped, Alba had been spotted flying to the western border in every village he had encountered. It seemed the dragon was favoring speed over concealment, which made tracking him much easier than when his mission first began.

After confirming with yet another villager that Alba had continued to fly westward, Ros coaxed his mount into a gallop. This village was the last one before the border. If Alba hadn’t crossed over into another country, then he would be nearby.

A little over an hour after he rode out into the plains, Ros thought he saw something in the distance. He shielded his eyes against the fading light and made out two figures in the sky, circling each other in a complex dance. Ros swore, there was no telling how far away the two dragons were on this flat terrain. He could only push his horse as fast as he dared and believe that Alba could hold on until he got there. Maybe he hadn’t known the dragon for that long, but he didn’t deserve to die.

_Damn it Rchimedes. I won’t let you take any more innocent lives!_

 

 


	6. The Hero and the Final Battle

The black dragon, Rchimedes, answered Alba’s roar with one of his own. It sounded like thunder booming across the plain, but unlike thunder it kept repeating. Rchimedes was laughing.

When he was finally only a few hundred yards from Alba, he adjusted his course to circle around. Alba adjusted as well so that they were both circling around one another. The brown dragon was forced to acknowledge once again just how utterly mismatched he was. Rchimedes was gargantuan, easily as large as a hill with claws as thick as trees. His teeth were probably the size of an adult human. In comparison, Alba was only about the size of two horses from shoulder to hip. He was maybe one fourth of Rchimedes’s size, and that was being generous.

“So, you’re the little runt who put my fun on hold.” Even his voice radiated power, a low menacing growl that sent shivers down Alba’s spine. “I must admit, I expected a bit more of an…intimidating adversary. Why would a weakling like you oppose me? You can’t possibly believe that you can actually win?” Even though he shouldn’t have been able with a dragon’s face, Alba swore he saw a condescending smirk.

“Whether I can win or not doesn’t matter. You’ve come here to attack a kingdom for your own twisted satisfaction. That alone means that I have to stand against you. The fact that this kingdom lies in my territory, under my protection, is all the more reason.”

Rchimedes burst out in that thunderous laughter again. “Under your protection? What do you think you are, a _hero_? We’re dragons. We are the embodiment of fire and death. We crush humans beneath our claws and scorch the earth to cinders. Why should such superior beings, especially myself, offer compassion to them?”

“Because we are not superior! Because humans have just as much right to live as we do! I’ve heard enough of your arrogance and poison! Prepare yourself!” Alba timed his offense just as he flew between Rchimedes and the setting sun. In a burst of speed he launched himself forward, aiming for his enemy’s right wing.

He nearly made it before Rchimedes almost casually closed his wings and dropped. Mere seconds after Alba’s miss, the mighty dragon reopened his vast wings and turned to face him. Alba knew what was coming next, and swiftly maneuvered out of the stream of fire issuing from the black dragon’s maw. As agile as a swallow, Alba dove down to meet Rchimedes, scoring hits along his flank and even his stomach, but to no avail. His claws just couldn’t pierce those obsidian scales. The black dragon attempted to swat at him with his own claws and tail, only to bat at the empty air were Alba had just been. Alba managed to dart in and out of his reach, targeting vulnerable spots such as his wings and eyes. He tore a few ragged holes in the membrane of his wings, but always had to retreat from Rchimedes’s lethal jaws when aiming for his eyes. Every time Alba made another pass, he escaped his opponent’s attacks by the skin of his teeth.

Ever so slowly, Rchimedes was brought lower to the ground with each successive rip of his wings. At last, Alba tore a massive hole in his left wing, forcing the enemy dragon to land. Now the real battle would begin. In midair, where he could attack from any angle, Alba had the advantage with his agility. On the ground, he would be limited to attacks from above, along the thick armor of Rchimedes’s back and neck. His only vulnerability would be his eyes, which incurred a huge risk of being bitten in two. Even if he succeeded in gouging his adversary’s eyes, he would still need to pierce that hide to deal a more lethal blow. In the meantime, just one hit from the ebony dragon would probably put him out of commission.

Rchimedes’s landing made a sound like an avalanche. Even from the air, Alba could tell that the impact had sent tremors through the earth. The colossal dragon roared his frustration and sent another jet of flame hurtling toward him. Once again, Alba deftly avoided the attack and moved in to attack his face in the same movement. Rchimedes attempted to follow Alba’s path, trying to engulf the smaller dragon in the inferno. Alba continuously only escaped by a hair’s breadth, and even then he still felt his scales being scorched by the intense heat. Black dragons truly were in a class of their own.

Alba had almost reached his target, one of the glistening crimson orbs that radiated malice and contempt, when suddenly the torrent of fire ceased. Rchimedes lashed out faster than Alba had anticipated. He attempted to swerve out of the way, but those massive jaws clamped down on Alba’s hind leg. Before he could register what was happening, Alba was yanked though the air and thrown to the ground with a nauseating ‘crack’. Excruciating pain flared in his left wing, combined with a duller, throbbing pain from the bite on his leg. At least that wasn’t broken too.

Alba struggled to his feet, making sure not to put too much weight on his hind leg. Rchimedes was slowly advancing, looming over him like a mountain. “You’ve tried my patience enough. It will take nothing more than one blow to end your life. However, if you tell me where you’ve hidden the princess away, I will spare your pathetic life. So tell me, where is she?”

“That’s none of your concern.” Alba knew he was finished, but that didn’t mean he was going to stop fighting. “I’ll never give in to your demands. And I’ll thank you not to count me out just yet.” Alba prepared to spring. Maybe if he bit down with everything he had he could leave a wound on Rchimedes’s thick neck.

“A pity. But I already know roughly where your lair is. It might take me a day or two to locate it, but I will find it I assure you. In the meantime, I believe this is where we say goodbye.”

Rchimedes seemed to take a moment to contemplate just how he was going to finish Alba off. Then, he reared his head back, clearly preparing to strike with his teeth. Alba tensed his muscles in anticipation. The moment the obsidian dragon launched his attack, Alba would lunge forward and snap his jaws shut on his opponent’s neck. However, before Rchimedes could make his move, an unexpected figure burst from the tall grass and slashed at the dragon’s right hind leg.

Rchimedes roared in pain and fury. Unlike Alba’s claws, which had glanced off his scales, the sword wielded by the interloper managed to partially slice through. Although, for such an immense dragon, the wound only amounted to a shallow cut.

The figure continued to hack away at the beast from below as he made his way over to Alba. Each swing left a new cut on the dragon’s underbelly, which served to infuriate Rchimedes more. The dragon reared on his hind legs and came crashing back down with the intent to crush the source of his pain underneath him. Unfortunately for him, the swordsman narrowly escaped and skid to a stop in front of Alba. The brown dragon could hardly believe his eyes. Ros was standing in front of Alba, bloodied sword in hand, looking almost…protective.

Apparently Alba wasn’t the only one surprised to see the dragon slayer. Rchimedes had come to a complete standstill, blood-red eyes locked on the man standing so defiantly before him. Then, to Alba’s complete and utter shock, he laughed. “Shi-tan! It’s been so long, you’ve gotten so much bigger! Don’t tell me you’re still hell bent on killing me? In that pathetic form? Papa’s so disappointed, I thought you were smarter than that.”

Alba’s head swam. Papa? Rchimedes was Ros’s father? How was that possible? Rchimedes was a dragon. Ros was a human…wasn’t he?

The man in question scoffed. “What, you mean this pathetic _human_ form? You used to be human too you know, don’t tell me you’ve forgotten.” Now Ros glared at Rchimedes with such unrestrained hatred that Alba drew back from him. “At least until you let the beast inside take over. Now, just like back then, you’re drunk on your own power. Well no more, you won’t be causing any more tragedies or catastrophes. It ends here.”

Ros turned his head slightly to look back at Alba. “You did a good job grounding him. From here on, I can take him. Switch to human form and try your best to stay out of the way. You can’t do anything more with that broken wing and injured foot.” With that said, Ros began to advance toward his foe.

Speechless, Alba complied. When he shifted to human form, the blazing pain in his wing became a dull ache on his back, a perk of switching bodies. He tested his weight on his wounded leg and found that, while it pained him, it was bearable.

The dark dragon gave a growling chuckle. “The beast within? This power is my birthright. _Your_ birthright. It’s our legacy, our heritage. Why shouldn’t we proudly embrace it? If you insist on denying that birthright, insist on staying a weak human, than you can just die as a weak human!”

Rchimedes unleashed a flood of fire, meant to incinerate his son. Ros dashed around and forward without fear, narrowly avoiding being reduced to charcoal. Once again, Ros went to work slashing away at his father’s legs and underbelly. However, this time Rchimedes kept on the move. He spun and trampled the ground beneath him in a frenzy, as well as continuing to rain fire below. Ros weaved in and out, scarcely avoiding being flattened or incinerated. Just like Alba’s earlier battle, one mistake could cost the dragon slayer his life.

Alba watched in both horror and awe. Ros was almost literally dancing with death as he wore away at the colossal dragon above him. Yet, despite his impressive skill, he only managed to deal shallow blows. Alba supposed that enough wounds such as those might eventually kill him, but Ros couldn’t possibly keep up this mad dance for long.

Alba bit his lip. There had to be _something_ he could do, even if he was injured. He couldn’t let Ros fight this battle alone.

Alba tore strips of fabric from the hem of his tunic to wrap around the bite wound on his leg. With luck, that would reduce the bleeding. He then straightened and observed the battle. Rchimedes was so focused on Ros that Alba could easily approach unnoticed, the problem would be approaching him at all in that turmoil. If Alba wasn’t careful, he would be crushed or reduced to ashes in a second. Even if he managed that, Alba wouldn’t be able to pierce that thick hide without his claws or teeth…

Alba looked down at his hands, an idea blossoming in his mind. If it worked, he just might be able to harm the dragon, if he attacked the right place… Alba glanced up at one of his original targets, those blazing red eyes locked on the man below him. If he could blind Rchimedes like he attempted before, Ros might he be able to beat him. The trick would be getting up there.

Alba nervously dry-swallowed. He would probably only get one chance at this, and he would be incredibly vulnerable the entire time. His plan depended entirely on Ros keeping Rchimedes occupied. He brought his gaze back down to the dragon slayer. Even though he had no reason to, Ros had still shown up and saved him. Now it was time for Alba to return the favor.

Alba strode toward the ensuing mayhem with determination. He just needed to wait for the perfect moment and then… _there_! Rchimedes had turned his back on Alba, his tail swinging behind him. Alba jumped forward and latched on to that tail with everything he had. As the appendage continued to thrash about wildly, Alba focused on transforming his arms. It was difficult to concentrate while he was being jostled around, but Alba saw his familiar brown scales grow along his human arms and his talons form from his fingertips. He had done it! A partial transformation!

With this new weapon, Alba clawed his way up Rchimedes’s tail, and began his trek across the dragon’s broad back. Rchimedes was still in constant, furious motion, resulting in Alba holding on for dear life as he dragged himself closer to his goal. It seemed like ages before he realized that he had reached the nape of the monster’s sinuous neck. This would be the hardest part. Rchimedes was lashing out with his teeth as often as he breathed fire and stomped the ground. Alba really would have to hold on for dear life, or he would go flying. There was also the chance that the black dragon would notice him and focus his attention on shaking him off.

Alba took a deep breath, offered a prayer, and dug his claws into the hide on Rchimedes’s neck. He channeled the strength of his dragon form into his whole body. Clinging with every ounce of strength he could muster, Alba fought his way up that thick neck.

He had made it halfway up before, just as Alba had feared, Rchimedes realized he was there. “YOU LITTLE INSECT! JUST HOW DID YOU GET UP THERE!!” The vexed dragon proceeded to thrash about with even more wild abandon than before in an attempt to remove him. Alba could only hold on, and hope that Rchimedes tired soon, enough to begin his ascent again. Just as Alba thought he wouldn’t last much longer, he heard the great beast roar in agony. Ros must have landed a more serious blow while Rchimedes was preoccupied with detaching him.

With his attention switched back to the swordsman, Alba resumed his arduous climb. Alba knew that his strength was fading, and so he favored speed over caution or a sure grip. Within seconds, he had made it to the black dragon’s massive head.

Alba knew he didn’t have much time before Rchimedes tried to remove him again. He scrambled over to his first target on the left side of his enemy’s face. He gripped the dragon’s hide as hard as he could in his right hand and held his left poised to strike. Alba released a battlecry that sounded like a human and dragon combined and swung his body down to thrust his talons into one great, slit-pupiled eye.

Blood gushed from the open wound as Alba removed his clawed hand. Rchimedes roared once again in torment and bashed his head against the ground to dislodge his assailant. Alba narrowly escaped by releasing his left hold and using his right to flip his body back up to the top of the enraged dragon's head.

Alba knew this was his chance, while Rchimedes was temporarily stunned from the pain of his wound and the blow to his head. He desperately clambered over to the other eye and waited for the lid to open. When it finally did, the savage monster’s eye honed in on the source of his pain, the crimson orb radiating hatred…but also the barest hint of fear. Alba thrust his other hand straight into that pool of malice.

This time when Rchimedes howled his pain, he jerked his head upward, sending Alba flying into the air. He couldn’t tell just how high the wounded dragon had sent him, but he had the suspicion that when he finished plummeting to the ground he would have several broken bones. Alba braced for the impact….which never came.

Rather, the expected impact of hitting the ground was replaced by the smaller impact of Ros catching him in midair and landing safely. Alba was astonished. Ros may have been strong for a human, he had to be to slay dragons, but he shouldn’t have been able to jump nearly that high, let alone come out unscathed when he touched down. Alba glanced down at his savior’s legs, which were now partly exposed after the cloth of his charred pants legs crumbled away. They were both covered in black scales. Alba met Ros’s gaze with wide eyes. The warrior appeared just as astounded as him.

Their attention returned to Rchimedes when he began to shout, “YOU LITTLE WORM! HOW DARE YOU!! _HOW DARE YOU!!! **I’LL DEVOUR THE BOTH OF YOU!!!**_ ” The dragon attacked the area around him senselessly, questing for the two who had driven him into such a state. Ros retreated a ways and began to speak.

“As reckless as that was, you really helped by blinding him. He’s just attacking at random now, frantic to find us. He’s not even trying to conserve his energy. Once he tires out, I’ll move in for the final blow.” He released Alba and lifted his sword in both hands. “One good thrust to the heart. I tried it before when you distracted him, but the blade didn’t go in deep enough.”

Alba looked over at the crazed dragon. Sure enough, there was a wound right were Rchimedes’s heart should be. Since Ros had already penetrated his scale armor, the next strike was almost sure to pierce his heart. Alba brought his inspection back to Ros. The dragon slayer was quavering with exhaustion, sweat coated his arms and face. Maybe it wasn’t so sure after all.

“Ros let me help! You’re barely holding that sword up and you look like you’re ready to collapse!” The man shot a vexed glare at Alba, but fatigue blunted it’s effect. The young dragon continued. “If I channel my dragon strength again, I can help you thrust that sword home. I may even be able to lift you and sprint to him faster than you can run right now.” Alba hoped that Ros couldn’t see his own legs shaking from overexertion.

The dragon slayer seemed to contemplate this for a moment before directing his gaze to Alba’s arms, which were still partially dragonized, and then his own legs. His brow furrowed in thought. Finally, he inhaled a deep breath. As he exhaled, his own arms became covered in the same obsidian scales as his legs. “We'll do this together, but you’re not carrying me.”

Alba silently nodded, still stupefied at this new development. He and Ros settled into a prepared stance, both of them gripping the blood-smeared sword. Ros explained that they would both channel dragon strength into their legs to charge Rchimedes, then channel it into their arms for the thrust.

Together, the two of them waited as the wounded dragon flailed and thrashed in vain. Agonizing minutes passed until Rchimedes began to slow, gasping for breath and still trying to locate his quarry. “Where are you Shion? * _pant_ * I know you’re still here. * _pant_ * Would you really kill your own father?”

Ros tightened his grip. Out of the corner of his eye, Alba saw the swordsman grit his teeth. “ _Now_.”

Both dragon slayer and dragon surged forward, perfectly in sync. They practically flew across the distance. When they were only a few yards from Rchimedes, they dug in with their feet and rammed the massive blade into the open wound. Rchimedes released one final shuddering roar and collapsed. Alba and Ros retreated just as he began to fall, and watched as the dragon continued to drag laborious breath after breath into his lungs. Ros approached his father’s head and bent down to say something to him. Alba didn’t follow. He felt that Ros needed privacy right now, as he witnessed his father’s final moments.

Rchimedes appeared to answer whatever Ros had told him and finally lay still. For several minutes, he stood there in silence. Alba saw a tear or two fall from his face. Eventually, Ros made his way back over to Alba. The battle was over.

* * *

_Several days later, at the Dämonenwelt palace_

“But how could Rchimedes have been your father if he was a dragon? Aren’t you a human?” Ruki inquired while staring up up Ros. After Rchimedes had been defeated, the two of them had made their way back to the palace to inform the king that the threat of the black dragon had been taken care of. Alba had been reluctant at first, but Ros argued that Ruki probably wouldn’t be convinced that Alba was alive and well without seeing him. Thus, they now found themselves seated in one of the royal family’s parlors, recounting the tale to a very curious Ruki and Lym as well as their parents.

Alba had feared the worst when he greeted the monarchs and apologized profusely. To his surprise the two of them had already forgiven him after Ruki had explained his motives and how well she had been treated. Although the king still made a point to threaten that if he ever did such a thing again he would mount Alba’s head on his wall.

“I am a human, and so was Rchimedes a long time ago.” Ros had apparently accepted his father’s passing. At the very least, it didn’t seem painful for him to discuss the topic. “It turns out that several generations back, we had a black dragon as an ancestor. When Rchimedes found that out, he began to research dragon lore. He wanted to know if he could harness a dragon’s power by awakening its blood within him. When he did, that power consumed him. Made him nothing more than a monster. I knew that I had the same power, but I had sworn not to use it after seeing what it had done to him.” The fact that he was afraid he would be consumed as well went unsaid.

“So…what made you change your mind? What made you use it against him?” Ruki asked. All of the eyes in the room were trained on Ros. The answer to this question, and the question of just were he obtained this power, was something they had been dying to know since he and Alba had first told the story.

“Well….” Ros discreetly glanced at Alba. “Rchimedes needed to be stopped, and I was out of options. Besides…” Ros reached over and pulled Alba into a headlock. “I figured if there were dragons like him around, then maybe becoming one wouldn’t be such a bad thing after all.”

Everyone else in the room laughed. Alba simply tried to wriggle out of Ros’s hold.

**_~Fin~_ **

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We've finally made it to the end! Thank you everyone who has chosen to stick with the story thus far and I hope you enjoyed the ride!
> 
> If anyone is wondering why the epilogue is so tiny, it's because it literally only exists to tie up the loose end of Ros and Rchimedes's relationship as well as their dragon powers. Well, I also wanted an ending scene with all three of our main characters together again, but explaining Ros's history was the focus. The third reason is that I just really wanted to be done after writing it for a week.
> 
> Information that was not immediately relevant to the story, and thus didn’t make it in:  
>  -The reason Rchimedes was researching his dragon powers was because their home was in a high conflict area. He had hoped to ward off bandits, invaders, and the like to protect his family. When he finally succeeded he hadn’t accounted for the immense bloodlust. After he was finished demolishing the invading force he continued in a blind rage and ended up destroying the town too. When he finally calmed down he realized he had destroyed his own house too and thought that he had killed Cecily and Lake. His despair and guilt drove him mad.  
>  -The thing Ros told Rchimedes as he lay dying was that Cecily and Lake were still alive. They had only been temporarily trapped under the debris and were mostly fine. Cecily was paralyzed and now has to use a wheelchair. (Yes, there are such things as medieval wheelchairs.)  
>  -Lake is younger than Ros in this story, just like in canon, which is why he didn’t also leave to become a dragon slayer. Although he is considering it since he hears stories of Ros and Ros tells stories himself whenever he comes home.  
>  -Only mixed bloods like Alba and Ros can perform partial transformations. Pure-blooded dragons essentially condense their dragon forms into human ones using magic, meaning that while they look human their bodies are still that of a dragon. They still retain dragon strength as well as senses and are very difficult to wound. Mixed bloods actually have the dragon and human forms as two distinct bodies. While wounds may cross over between the two, they do not retain many of their draconic features. They are only slightly stronger than the average human, have slightly more acute senses, can still breath fire(since it’s magic based rather than biologically based), and can be wounded as easily as a normal human. A partial transformation is blending the two forms together.  
>  -Alba is actually in his forties. Dragons age slowly after all. Now that Ros has awakened his dragon side, his aging will begin to slow too.  
>  -Ros will continue to travel around the continent as a dragon slayer, regularly visiting his family and the Dämonenwelt palace, where Alba now lives. Ruki insisted that Alba move in so that she could see him and her father insisted so that he could thank Alba for protecting the kingdom for so many years. The king also insisted that such a central location would make it much easier for Alba to respond to threats. Ruki just likes playing with Alba and thinks he’s the best babysitter ever.


End file.
